Fire Emblem: Rider of the Red Moon
by Aiddon Raziel Valentine
Summary: In the land of Midgard, the countries of Niflheim and Asgard have long been at war. Freyja, the lieutenant of a mercenary company, now deals with something that makes her fight for her life as well as the sordid past of their newest recruit. Original worl
1. Prologue

_Long, long ago in the land of Midgard, before anyone's grandparents or even their grandparents were born, there raged a great clash of the gods. Baldr, the God of War stronger than anyone, fought his brothers, family, and even friends for a selfish reason and the conflict lasted many days. At the end, there stood no more gods and thus was Midgard left to Beorc and Laguz._

_-_Summary of the Ragnarok Cycle, circa 776 C.E.

XXXXX

Prologue: The boy and the girl

It was a cold winter's night on the northern border, snowing laying itself thick upon the land as cold winds blew from the west. The sun had set about an hour ago and the forest was eerily quiet. In fact, it was so quiet that the only sounds that could be heard were the elegant, graceful steps of a young girl walking her way through the newly fallen snow.

She couldn't have been a day over fifteen, her face far from taking the image of a woman and her bosom not even beginning to mature. Still, she was a catching girl with her long, silken gold hair and sharp, ruby-red eyes. The white cloak she wore was obviously of fine material as were her cerulean skirt and blouse. Her appearance was why it was all the more puzzling that she was in a dark forest by herself.

Her elegance made no sense in the place as wolves could be heard far off and civilization was at least a day away by horseback. It was only after she saw fire in the distance that it made any sense.

"Hey!" she called

Someone was definitely moving near the fire, feet shuffling about and tossing branches in. The girl came to the mouth of a cave with a pile of wood ablaze already. At its side was a slim, black-haired boy, perhaps even younger than the girl. He looked at her with a pair of dull-looking eyes before giving his attention to the fire again. She sighed at his aloofness and threw a heavy bag she had been carrying at his feet.

"Father thought your clothes would be getting worn out by now. Plus food is hard to get during the winter so Cain and the other Riders found some stuff for you."

"I don't remember ever asking for stuff from the old man." His voice was indeed young, being more akin to a girl's than a man's.

"Well, he has to do something for you since you won't live in the manor with us."

"I'm causin' him enough trouble already."

The girl gave him a sour look at he ruffled through the bag, trading his worn, undersized cloth shirt for a new one. In that brief window of time, the girl had already walked up to him and put her hand above his head. She gave a seemingly mocking grin.

"What is it?"

"You grow fast; I keep forgetting how hasty Beorc are to grow. In just a few years you'll be bigger than me."

"Yeah, so?"

"It'll be hard to act like I'm an elder to someone taller and older-looking."

The boy gave a disinterested grunt and removed whatever else he found of use in the bag before throwing it over to the girl. She let it fall at her feet, not even giving it a second glance

"There, you did what you came for, now get out."

"Don't give me that; you're on my family's lands so I can do what I want."

"It's not like I want to see you or anything." He turned his back again and threw some more wood into the fire.

"Oh please, you if you can't stand us so much then why don't you just leave? I'll tell you why: it's because you don't want to be alone."

"Shut up!"

The boy kicked a log from the pile of wood near the fire. It nearly hit the girl, but she sidestepped it before it could ruin her graceful countenance. The boy was still vehement.

"A freaking princess like you who's spent her entire goddamn life in a safe little bubble doesn't have the slightest clue of what kind of crap I've had to deal with!"

The boy was practically gaping for air, his breath a hot mist in the cold winter. He began walking away until he felt the girl right behind him, her cloak draping over him.

"You're not the only who's lonely, you know."

"I'm alone, but I'm not lonely. Besides, I've always been by myself."

"Please, people can't survive solitude. Besides, I'm here, right?"

"…You don't know anything about me."

"Father told me; you just think you can put up that stupid front and act like some adult when you're nowhere near manhood yet. Are you just afraid what you hate most will happen?"

The boy didn't reply, merely letting his breath steam out from between his lips. The girl sighed and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I hear you raggedly sobbing in the mornings. I don't need anything else to see how much you hate it."

Again he didn't reply, paying no heed to the girl right next to his ear.

"Alright, how about we make a deal; from here on out, we're promised to each other."

"What doezzat mean?" the boy cocked an eyebrow in confusion.

"It means I won't ever let you be alone. And if what you hate happens…I'll take care of it."

"…Fine, suit yourself."

Unbeknownst to him, the girl was quite happy.


	2. Battle 1

_The continent of Midgard is a large, varied place roughly twenty-five-hundred kilometers by latitude and one thousand by longitude. It is home to several countries with that of Asgard taking up most of the northeastern seaboard and its neighbor Niflheim occupying the southeastern areas. In the middle of the continent is the mountain-locked monarchy of Nidhogg where dragon Laguz rule. Its neighbors are the beast and bird Laguz democracy Sleipnir at the northwest and the religious oligarchy of Hraesvelgr to the southwest._

_The area has had a habit for war, Asgard and Niflheim being in the middle of a sort of stalemate. Bigotry of race is mild, being little more than racial slurs than obstruction of rights or slavery. However, Beorc countries are very well known for their technological prowess with inventions such at the catapult and more recently the frighteningly powerful cannon. Niflheim in particular is a force to be reckoned with on the ground while Asgard's army is demonic at sea. It is quite tragic, however, that most of these inventions have been for harm rather than aid._

-Excerpt of The History of Midgard by Thomas of Sophman

XXXXX

Battle One: The Mysterious Stranger

Asgard was finally at the end of a rather brutal winter. The winds from the north had practically frozen the lands with bone-chilling cold and caused even the hardiest of people to retreat into their homes. Only now were people not minding coming out into the open for work or otherwise. In particular the marketplace was now a bit fuller than it had been for the past few weeks, even if the wares of the vendors weren't as numerous as buyers would like. One customer in particular was trying to haggle with a shop-keeper who was selling produce.

"C'mon, can't ya lower it any more?"

"Sorry, but if I can't make a profit there ain't no use in sellin' nothin'."

The buyer, a green-haired youth wearing a fur-lined cloak, sighed and rummaged in a wallet he carried. He counted the coins he pulled out and handed them to the vendor in defeat. His companion, a girl with wild, red hair and eyes of the same shade, smirked as he carried a load of vegetables with him.

"Yeesh Freyr, looks like you lost again."

"Shut up, Anna. It's not like I can waste my time arguing with people when they do good impressions of rocks."

"God I hope things start to thaw soon." Anna stretched "I can't stand being cooped up all day long indoors."

"You got too much energy; Wulf said you got so eager during your first battle that you nearly screwed up the entire thing."

"Why you…! Respect your elders!" Anna took a swing at Freyr, but missed by a mile.

"Oh please, you're only nine months older than I am and the last time I checked you were still just a rookie."

Anna puffed out her cheeks vehemently, not the least bit happy that her junior could mock her with so little effort. They eventually came to the town center, seeing a crowd of people gathered around a makeshift battle ring. Freyr frowned at the display.

"Great, is Captain Ivan at it again?"

Captain Ivan happened to be a local commander of the army. Though middle-aged, he was a massive, barrel-chested man with incredible strength. Throughout the winter he had been doing prize matches in the town square, mostly for his own amusement as not many people could hope to beat him in a one-on-one match.

"Gather around!" a noisy announcer was next to the ring, promoting "The great Captain is still undefeated! The pot has increased to one-hundred-fifty silvers! The first one to beat him is fit to collect it!"

"Maybe you oughta try, Freyr." Anna jokingly nudged the green-haired lad.

"Pfft, I got better things to do than add to that idiot's ego. 'Sides, he's pretty much the strongest guy around."

"We have a new challenger!"

The attention came to the ring once more as someone entered. In stark contrast to the burly mountains of muscle that had been facing Captain Ivan up until now, the man in the ring was closer to Freyr's build. His long hair was black, wild, and wolfish, barely standing out against the weatherworn, black jacket he had on. His most striking feature was his smooth, darkly tan skin which was something of an oddity in Midgard. His uncovered eye gave a rather bored look at the Captain who was grinning.

"Well, lad, do ye honestly think ye can beat ol' Ivan?" the Captain boasted.

The man looked to the promoter. His voice was a low baritone.

"Oi, I just gotta beat him, right?"

"Er, yessir, but could I advise you to take a weapon first? The good Captain has beaten men far bigger than you."

"Nah, that'd just be overkill."

"What'd you say!?"

Again, the dark-skinned man looked at Ivan with boredom. He took a hand out from his pocket and brushed his bangs away from his eye. He then made a fist, his knuckles cracking as I did so.

"I ain't in the mood to deal with jackasses like you, so forgive me if this is a bit short."

Everyone in the crowd could see the veins on Captain Ivan's head bulging as he was being mocked by a man a head shorter than he was. With that he glared at the promoter, telling him to give the signal. What he didn't expect was how fast it was between the signal and the end of the bout.

One blow; all it took to make the Captain see stars was one hit. The Captain charged at his opponent, but his face was met by a practically invisible uppercut that, quite literally, sent his feet off the ground. When Ivan landed, the only sound heard around the square was that of his large body slamming into the cobblestones as the entire crowd was speechless. Even the promoter didn't notice when the dark-skinned man strolled up to him and snapped his fingers.

"Yo."

"Er…uh…huh?" the dark-skinned man was holding his hand out.

"A hundred-fifty silvers, right? I knocked this clown out so I believe I won."

The promoter shook his head, attempting to get out of his daze. Eventually he handed the challenger a large wallet with which he grabbed and took off with a rather urgent speed. It actually took a whole minute for everyone to snap out of their trance, except for Freyr and Anna who were looking at the departing man.

"Did you see it?" Anna looked up at Freyr whose eyes were still on the man.

"Just barely; ya think there's anyone in the Company who could throw a swing that fast?"

"Hmmm, _maybe_ Grigori and I could see Wulf doing it if he was really trying, but what got me was how heavy that was."

"Yeah, no wind-up at all; a bug bite should be worse than that."

"Well, I got my entertainment for the day, so let's get back home."

While the crowd was stirring up again at what had just happened, the pair went towards the western gate where there was an old fort not too far from the city. This was where the Andvari Mercenary Company was stationed. The fort had been vacant until the Company was hired by the local lord to help with bandits and uprisings. Luckily they hadn't been seeing a lot of those during the winter.

"Well, looks like our lunch is here."

At the front gate was a tall, lithe Laguz male, his unkempt hair a stunning shade of cobalt and his lazy eyes bright gold. His furry tail curled at the two teenagers.

"I take it you smelled dinner?" Freyr smirked.

"Nah, veggies ain't my thing. What'd really hit the spot right now is a nice, big salmon from one of the inland rivers."

"Well, produce is in short supply right now so that takes priority. You'd think a cat like you would just take down a deer."

"I _would _if that snob Beorc runnin' the place didn't make the whole damn forest his personal hunting grounds."

The local lord was a bit of an ass. It wasn't illegal to hunt game, but taking down anything required that the hunter either give the kill to the lord or be charged an arm and a leg. It was supposedly in place for "times of need" but the entire troupe was certain the lord was just trying to show off his hunting skills. According to most of group, though, his skills were lousy.

"So, where is everybody?" Anna asked Grigori as she warmed herself by the hearth in the main hall, a large place with three long tables in it.

"Wulf and Wiglaf went to the guard post to see if anything is up. Commander Andvari is talking with the lord, Zylo went to pick herbs, and the Vice-Commander is conked out."

"Sis is still sleeping?" Freyr came out from the storeroom and was removing his cloak "I thought she said she had stuff to do; why didn't you wake her up?"

"Dude, the last time someone woke your sister up when she didn't get a good night's sleep Wiglaf ended up being in traction for a whole month. Seems the demon's brother is the only thing she doesn't maim."

"Watch your mouth, furball."

Despite sounding drowsy, Grigori's ears and tail practically shot up stiff at the sound of the voice at the stairwell. Standing in a night gown and fur cloak was a woman with long, lustrous green hair and sapphire-blue eyes that didn't quite seem like they were fully open yet. She looked lazily to Freyr and descended slowly.

"Freyr, what time is it?"

"About noon, Sis; that's what you get for staying up all night."

"Give me a break I had to check the horses, tally the crates, lock the doors, manage gear-"

"I get it!"

That was the attitude of Freyr's sister, Freyja, Vice-Commander of the Andvari Company. When she wasn't swinging a sword she was worrying about everything else. Still, her skill was undeniable at getting such a position at a mere twenty years of age.

Still yawning, Freyja made her way to the wash basin and splashed cold water on her face. Most would be hesitant to do such a thing in the winter, but for Freyja it was the best way to get the fogginess of sleep out of her head.

"Boss, there isn't anything to do, y'know." Anna lazed at one of the tables, propping her chin on her hand.

"You never know. Bandits can get pretty desperate at times."

"Not when there's nothing to be desperate about."

"The Lieutenant never could keep still in winter." Grigori smirked, though any further play was stopped with a glare from Freyja's fully wakened eyes.

"When nothing happens for awhile, I get anxious." The Lieutenant dried her face with a cloth "I guess the winter has been harsh on everyone."

XXXXX

Nothing really happened the rest of the day. Wulf and Wiglaf had returned, though there was nothing to report at all from the guards and Zylo came in with what herbs he could find in the snow-blanketed forest. As usual, it was just another lazy, winter's day.

Freyja woke early the next day, the sun yet to come above the horizon as the sky was a deep purple. After properly waking herself up, Freyja put on her clothes and ventured outside onto the snow-laden grass. Like some sort of muffler the snow covered everything, perhaps even sound itself as not even a single sound from an animal could be heard.

"Looks like I'm not the only early riser."

From the direction of the town came a large, powerfully built man. His messy hair and long beard were both iron-grey, but his build was not stunted the least by age. Though not in battle, he wore tarnished silver armor and at his belt was a sheathed broadsword.

"Commander Andvari," Freyja gave a curt salute "I didn't see you at all last night."

"Ah, sorry about that, our lord got me a bit too drunk to walk back on my own."

"…You're kidding."

"Nope, I was ready to leave when he shoves a case of wine in my face. Next thing I know is that the whole world is spinning and I'm face first on some gaudy bed."

Freyja just frowned alongside her captain at the utter carelessness of the upper class. She never could understand why nobles were so quick to gorge themselves and become drunker than should be humanly possible.

"So our lord had nothing to say as usual, eh?"

"Actually that's what I would've told you last night if I was capable of thought; apparently some bandits showed up in some caves a few miles from the city. They haven't done anything yet, but apparently our boss is saying better safe than sorry."

"You mean better active than bored. Alright, I'll go get everyone."

The bandits were apparently using a dried up iron mine for a base of operations. Commander Andvari knew for a fact that the place had been abandoned for years and that there was only one way in or out. As such, Freyja gathered herself, the commander, Grigori, Wiglaf, and Anna. Wiglaf and Grigori would be scouts while Freyja and the others took up the rear. The band of thieves was small, so experienced soldiers like herself and the commander could take them with no trouble.

The five of them were on horses just as daybreak was coming over the horizon, with the exception of Grigori who was on all fours as a sleek, midnight blue panther. Freyja looked ahead, just beginning to be able to see things in the early light of dawn.

"Eager to get things going, boss?"

To Freyja's right riding a red horse was Wiglaf, a scruffy man with a mess of chestnut hair and a five o'clock shadow. On his back was a curious lance with a white tassel on it. Freyja grinned at her peer.

"Duty is duty, Wiglaf. It just so happens that this one is after we've been cooped up for weeks on end."

"Freyja the Busybody as they always say." He grinned "You're going to be as grey as the commander before your time."

"I heard that, Wiglaf." Commander Andvari didn't even look at Wiglaf, though it was enough to silence his snarky comments for awhile.

By the time the small group got there the sun had broken, bathing the snow-covered landscape in golden hues. Amidst the hills was an old mining entrance, footprints going into its black depths. Freyja and her companions dismounted about half a mile away and walked into viewing distance. They gathered around the Commander and heard the rundown.

"Alright, Grigori and Wiglaf will go in; if you see one of these bandits, drop them. We can't let them alert the others."

"Actually, Commander." Grigori's nose was twitching at the mine entrance.

"Eh?"

"Well, I thought something was up but I wasn't sure 'til now. I think I smell blood in the mine."

"Blood?" Andvari scratched his head "Was there a cave-in?"

"I dunno, but blood ain't exactly the best of signs."

As though to accentuate Grigori's comment, something came flying out of the entrance like an arrow and landed on the snow-laden grass. Five pairs of wide eyes gazed at a bloodied man unconscious on the ground, not quite sure what to make of what they saw.

"Damn, that bastard was a slippery one."

Slinking out of the stygian gloom of the mine was a rather angry man. While the five adults cocked their brows at him, Anna pointed at him with a shocked expression.

"GAH!"

"You know him?"

"This is the guy who beat the crap out of Captain Ivan yesterday!"

The man just folded his arms and sighed, a vein rising to his forehead for some reason.

"Great, first a buncha thieves try to mug my ass and now I've run into spectators."

"Alright," Andvari intervened, realizing too many things were happening at once "can we start from the beginning here?"

Andvari looked to the lithe, foreign man in front of him. In response the man glanced out of the corner of his eye.

"So, what exactly are you doing in a mine? You'd think someone who won Ivan's little contest would be able to afford a night at an inn."

"I stand out enough as it is; last thing I want is MORE unneeded attention. I didn't know the next town was so far away so I just camped in here."

"And that guy?" Andvari pointed at the bandit unconscious in the snow "There's supposed to be an entire gang in here."

"Well, there _was_. Waking me up with sharp objects is not exactly a good idea."

Freyja wasn't quite sure if she just heard this man right. Did he just say he took out those bandits himself? She and the rest of her party were bewildered. Freyja had no doubts some of the company could take out the gang, but doing so unarmed was another thing entirely.

The five of them followed the man into the dim mine. Sure enough, after stumbling through the suffocating corridors they found several more thugs knocked and injured. Several had broken limbs and a few others had taken quite a pummeling, showing that the man they had angered was not exactly the most merciful.

After tending to those who had more severe injuries, Wiglaf went ahead to tell the city guards while Anna and Grigori kept an eye on the bandits. Outside the mine, Freyja and Andvari were wondering what to make of this odd vagrant who had just taken out an entire gang of bandits by himself to add to beating that musclehead Captain Ivan in a contest of strength.

"What's your name?" Freyja asked the man who had been yawning.

"Arngrim."

"Well, Arngrim, I'm Freyja," she gestured towards her commander "this is Andvari. We're of the Andvari mercenary company."

"Okay, why you tellin' me that?"

"What you just did isn't something ordinary." Andvari spoke up "Besides, the fact that you slept in a mine hints that you aren't sure of when your next meal is, right."

Arngrim sighed, his single eye closing as he did so.

"Eh, what the hell, it might be fun."

"Glad to have you on board."

XXXXX

Author's Notes: Well, here we are, the last fanfiction I will ever publish (with the exception of things pertaining to a certain project). After a romp through Radiant Dawn I thought it was about time for me to do an FE plot I had been thinking about ever since going through Path of Radiance. This does have elements of the Tellius mythology, but it's completely original. Strangely, I drew on Valkyrie Profile for influence during the planning stages. Hopefully this turns out good as I'm writing this after having not done anything for a good long while.


End file.
